ON THE FAST TRACK

Racing the clock in a speedy, stylish M Streets makeover

BY CONNIE DUFNER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOLGER OBENAUS

Cristie Schlosser, owner of Schlosser Design Group (SDG), is used to working with clients on deadline. After all, who tells a designer they would prefer to wait for a beautifully put together home? But then she met young parents, and her ability to work quickly met its match.

August 2016: The couple moved to Dallas from Florida for his job. Their new M Streets house wasn’t move-in ready. She was due with their second child in September. New city. New job. New house. New baby. Dithering on home design was not an option.

The couple met Schlosser through their realtor; they hit it off and the project was on. “We met in my office. They had a budget, and they had to get it done fast,’’ says Schlosser, the immediate past chair of Dallas ASID and a Texas-registered interior designer. “We didn’t want to cut back on the quality of design, so we blended price points across the board using medium and high-end sources, custom fabrication and easy to find accent pieces at everyday good values.” The wife is active on Pinterest, so Schlosser was able to respect her taste while bringing her own aesthetic to the project.

“It’s a sophisticated look at reasonable price points,” Schlosser says. “They had been shopping at West Elm and other retailers and online sources.”

With accessories from Z Gallerie, Crate and Barrel, and Living Modern, Schlosser created a comfortable space in the living room. The sofa table is from Classic Home.

The work was completed just before Christmas and transformed the 4,100-square-foot Tudor-style home. The look is fresh transitional with two boldly hued front rooms that lead into an open suite comprising the kitchen, dining area and family room, which is neutral and calming and where most of the activity takes place.

“We worked creatively. I think we found options that were new and fresh, that gave the house a meaningful and unique style,” Schlosser says.

The charm starts at the entry, which opens to his-and-her sitting rooms on either side. His doubles as an office with built-ins designed by SDG and bold navy walls. Four leather armchairs surround a Caracole table. Navy patterned drapes in Fabricut fabric and a retro steel and brass geometric chandelier complete the mid-century feel. It’s serious enough for a meeting, fun enough for a chill evening with the guys.

A pet- and kid-friendly area rug from Loloi frames the dining table in the formal dining room. The chandelier is from Currey & Co.

An American Leather sleeper sofa is the only neutral-colored piece in a room splashed with bright pink and red. Schlosser found the acrylic cocktail table online. She completed the room with accessories and butterfly art from Living Modern.

Lamps from Arteriors stand on the ends of a decorative console table.

The entry holds one of Schlosser’s favorites, the Sculpted console with its black marble top and wavy laser-cut steel base. She says, “I used black and gold in places where you wouldn’t have expected it,” including in the kitchen where custom window treatments feature fabric from the Jonathan Adler line for Kravet.

The dining area, kitchen and family room feature bright white walls. Windows are covered by soothing Hunter Douglas remote controlled shades, which are cordless and kid-friendly. The style is casual and elegant— Hamptons meets the M Streets. Custom sofas and chairs from Stacy Coulter and Associates combine comfort, durability and style. A cocktail ottoman has toddler-friendly cushioned corners for the couple’s son, who likes to scoot underneath to play. A substantive wooden table grounds the dining room while the statement chandelier adds a golden glow. Eight custom chairs have stain-resistant synthetic leather seats; the nailhead trim echoes the room’s cornices. Pizza nights, football games, imaginary forts and castles—it’s all possible in this pretty and versatile space.

Contemporary barstools from Pastel provide seating for the family at the large kitchen island. Suspension LED lights from Modern Forms.

Every project has its compromises— sometimes between designer and client, sometimes between couples. Schlosser confronted that with kitchen lighting. “He wanted modern LED. She wanted glass lighting. She was more traditional; he was more Miami. I felt I needed to tone it down,” the designer says. They settled on LED suspension lights—sleek enough for him, soft enough for her.

The peaceful resolution is not unlike the process that guided the entire project. It’s a happy house where differing tastes and desires blend seamlessly and distinctively, thanks to a thoughtful designer who expertly pulled it all together.

Connie Dufner is a Dallas-based freelance journalist who writes about interiors for local and national publications.

The den was painted blue and filled with accessories from Z Gallerie, West Elm and Living Modern. The seating area was created with chairs from Bernhardt.